Charting the culture of Shanghai

• Source: Global Times
• [10:32 July 14 2010]
• Comments

Copies of Shanghai Detour. Photo: Courtesy of Eike Stratmann

By Guo Song

Shanghai has been working hard to shed its "cultural desert" image. Exhibitions, performances and festivals have sprung up everywhere around the city, and now that there is a wider choice for cultural activities, dedicated art enthusiasts have been drafting "art maps" to aid the city's culture vultures.

Although the number of cultural events in Shanghai still lags behind that of other major international cities like London, Paris and Berlin, it is not always convenient for residents or visitors to locate venues or access details for cultural events.

Shanghai Detour, Art Map and Art in Shanghai are three recent Shanghai art maps that will help local art lovers.

These art maps and the production teams behind them have been working hard over three years to pool cultural event-related information and present it to readers for free, along with distinct histories and features.

As well as traditional cultural venues, hotels and restaurants, the Art Map, the newest culture map on the scene, has extended the territory of art maps in Shanghai to coffee shops, galleries and consulates.

"We are working to increase the popularity of cultural events in Shanghai," said Qin Wenxian, editor of Art Map.

Art Map has its own particular advantages. In addition to exhibitions, it also includes detailed information about performances and other cultural events in both English and Chinese.

"You can find the introductions to activities, times, locations, traffic and contact information on our map," said Qin.

This monthly map also includes two columns recommending 10 highlights for visual arts and performances for the month.

"The rankings are based on advice from experienced curators, journalists, critics and cultural professionals," said Huang Mohan, founder and publisher of Art Map.

With a professional team working full-time, the map has a circulation of more than 80,000 copies per month.

"We hope more and more people can get easy and convenient access to our map and that this will increase their interest in art," said Huang who has been interested in art since childhood.

Lacking government subsidies, Art Map currently relies on advertising revenue to cover the cost of production and distribution.

"All the advertisements on the map are either art or event related," said Huang. "It is useful and supplements our listed information."